The environment in which a child grows up in is an extremely important factor in how the child develops. Through reading the book "A Hope in the Unseen" I have realized how truly blessed I am with the amount of love and support I have received at home my entire life. Unlike Cedric Jennings, I have two parents that are always supportive and know what is going on in my life. Without their love and support, I don't think that I would be where I am today.
My parents always made sure I did well in school, and tried anything they could to help me. I am an only child, so they were very in tune with what my strengths and weaknesses are. In elementary and middle school I always struggled with math a bit. During my freshman year of high school, math became even more difficult for me. My teacher was not very interested in helping students and many people in my class did not do well, myself included. My parents were never angry with me if I brought home bad grades; rather, they tried to help me find ways to do better. They hired a tutor for me about halfway through my freshman year of high school, which helped me get higher grades in my math class. It was nice to have my parents support when I was struggling, rather than have them turn a blind eye to the problem or force me to struggle without any support.
Also, my parents talked to me a lot about going to college. Neither of them went to college and it was very important to them that I went. They made sure I got all of my applications out on time and prepared adequately for my SAT’s. Since applying to colleges is something that they were not familiar with, they always asked me questions about the process so that they understood it thoroughly. If they weren’t as helpful as they were, it definitely would have been a more stressful process. I have started the process of applying to graduate schools, and I can still say that my parents are as helpful and involved as they were when I was in high school.
Another thing that my parents did to help me was giving me unconditional emotional support. One thing that has stuck out to me in “A Hope in the Unseen” was the lack of everyday conversation between Cedric and Barbara. My parents were always “in the know” about what was going on in my personal life and I felt like I could talk to them if I was having a problem. Although most high school students would rather talk to their friends than their parents, I still believe that keeping the lines of communication open with your parents is important. I might not have come to my parents with every single problem that I had, but I knew they would have been there for me if I did.
A child’s development is influenced heavily by both the school and home environment in which they are raised. I am extremely lucky that I attended a great high school, but even more fortunate that my family was such a positive support system in my life. I don’t think that I would have been able to accomplish everything that I have without their love and encouragement.
Nicely organized essay. I also enjoyed your comparisons with Hope in the Unseen. - fogleman Oct 6, 2010
EDC 102H
Non-academic Influences
The environment in which a child grows up in is an extremely important factor in how the child develops. Through reading the book "A Hope in the Unseen" I have realized how truly blessed I am with the amount of love and support I have received at home my entire life. Unlike Cedric Jennings, I have two parents that are always supportive and know what is going on in my life. Without their love and support, I don't think that I would be where I am today.
My parents always made sure I did well in school, and tried anything they could to help me. I am an only child, so they were very in tune with what my strengths and weaknesses are. In elementary and middle school I always struggled with math a bit. During my freshman year of high school, math became even more difficult for me. My teacher was not very interested in helping students and many people in my class did not do well, myself included. My parents were never angry with me if I brought home bad grades; rather, they tried to help me find ways to do better. They hired a tutor for me about halfway through my freshman year of high school, which helped me get higher grades in my math class. It was nice to have my parents support when I was struggling, rather than have them turn a blind eye to the problem or force me to struggle without any support.
Also, my parents talked to me a lot about going to college. Neither of them went to college and it was very important to them that I went. They made sure I got all of my applications out on time and prepared adequately for my SAT’s. Since applying to colleges is something that they were not familiar with, they always asked me questions about the process so that they understood it thoroughly. If they weren’t as helpful as they were, it definitely would have been a more stressful process. I have started the process of applying to graduate schools, and I can still say that my parents are as helpful and involved as they were when I was in high school.
Another thing that my parents did to help me was giving me unconditional emotional support. One thing that has stuck out to me in “A Hope in the Unseen” was the lack of everyday conversation between Cedric and Barbara. My parents were always “in the know” about what was going on in my personal life and I felt like I could talk to them if I was having a problem. Although most high school students would rather talk to their friends than their parents, I still believe that keeping the lines of communication open with your parents is important. I might not have come to my parents with every single problem that I had, but I knew they would have been there for me if I did.
A child’s development is influenced heavily by both the school and home environment in which they are raised. I am extremely lucky that I attended a great high school, but even more fortunate that my family was such a positive support system in my life. I don’t think that I would have been able to accomplish everything that I have without their love and encouragement.
Nicely organized essay. I also enjoyed your comparisons with Hope in the Unseen. -